PIXMA mx922 prints blurry.

[afip4n6doc]

Our PIXMA mx922 prints blurry.  I have already cleaned the encoding strip.  

When I print a black and white text document. some lines on a printed document are sharp and crisp, while others are faint and blurry.  These crisp and blurry lines alternate all the way down the page. 

When I print a mixed color and black text document (such as a screen capture of this current page), the color sections are sharp but the black ink sections are blurry as mentioned previously.

The blurry text almost looks like a double image of the letters.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

[drkibble]

"I set my printer to print on Premium Paper (like a photo) and it prints perfectly."

I was having the same problem on my MX920 - 2 lines would print OK, then about 4 lines would be blurry/misaligned.  It would do this all the way down the document and on every page.  All maintenance methods were tried numerous times but with no success.

I tested switching to Photo Printing and Photo Papers (I chose Matte Photo paper) and either Standard or High quality (it only allows for these two settings) and it worked fine.  Note that I'm talking about the black ink only.  I tested Photo Printing on Standard Paper at different print quality settings and it didn't work...it just reverted back to the 2 good lines, 4 blurry lines deal.

Since it's black ink only, I recommend bypassing the usual Maintenance > Nozzle Check > Print Test Page protocol as this wastes color ink as well as black.  Go to Printer Properties under the General tab, click on Preferences and set the paper ti Photo and ink quality to High or Standard (also be sure the paper size matches your liking).  Click Apply and OK.  Now click on Print Test Page.  This should print out a Windows Printer Test Page that is mostly just text and in black ink only.  Note- you may have to check the Grayscale print option if this page prints in color.

I believe this process uses more black ink, but it's worth it if you need to print.  I only use my printer for mostly signature pages and it doesn't use a lot of ink or need to be in color.  I plan on using DIY refill ink to help compensate for the increased use of black ink.

I hope this helps!

[pfeldman]

Very interesting!

I was able to resolve the blurry printing issue by running the deep cleaning multiple times, but this wastes a ton of ink.

[Ian_Weeks]

I also have the same issue.  Crisp printing on some lines but with alternating blurry lines at regular intervals down the page.  The blurred lines appear to be a double image where the second print is slightly offset.  Only the black PG-BK jet is affected.

I've tried deep clean & head alignment but neither gave any improvement.  However the photo quality print workaround does work (thanks dkribble) although it's extremely slow.    This workaround rules out the possibility of a roller error as this would effect all colours and print modes....

Guess I'll just have to use up my ink & get another printer from another brand (I'm not encouraging Canon to keep producing poor quality products).

[SaMaMa]

That's just what I did. Bought me a Brother. They give support for the life of the printer and are well spoken of by users and experts alike. I'll never buy another Canon although I've always had Canon printers my whole life. I'm 60 yrs old, so Canon has lost another long time customer. Maybe if people quit buying their faulty products, they wake up and fix issues like this. They refused to help with this issue.

[KerrieLee]

Thank you for sharing this solution. It fixed the blurry text problem that has been driving me crazy. On my PIXMA922, I set to Business Document, High Resolution Paper and High Quality for the best results. It slows down the print job, but it's worth it to get sharp, clear text.

So, special kudos to you!!! 

[andy3]

I have the same problem two lines fairly clear and three/four lines double. Print on matt photo paper works - but slow- presumably forcing printer to avoid main black ink tank and print head. So maybe large print head needs cleaning although Canon say it needs to be sent to a service centre- cost more than printer is worth. Don't think Canon ar being very honest. 

[pfeldman]

As far as I can tell, Canon hasn't made any information available to consumers re. how to clean the print head.  I had problems with the print head on one unit and ended up simply replacing the printer.

Phillip M. Feldman

Home Page: http://phillipmfeldman.org

[Ian2]

I have a similar problem. Mine is a Pixma MX 925 (sold in the UK) Is that similar? Mine prints 2 lines nicely and crisply then 2 lines of a broader font then back to the crisp print. And selecting glossy photo paper fixes it. But it is very unsatisfactory. Surely if it alternates every 2 lines it must be a software problem rather than a blocked printing nozzle?

What make shall I get next time?

[mfaris01]

I have a Canon mx922 and when I print, from word or openoffice, it works fine. When I photocopy, it comes out with some clear lines and some that are blurred or "shadowed". I had recently "manually" cleaned the printhead and have new ink. Any ideas?

[Apop]

I cleaned the printhead by running water through it, as per an earlier post in this thread.  At first, I thought it helped but then realized alternate lines were still fuzzy.

Print heads are quite expensive but then I saw numerous online and local stores selling new MX922's for only $66 so I bought a new one.  Problem solved!